To the point above, a LOT of success can be derived from segmenting the course.

Personally, I like to do it in 1/3 increments. You finish the first 30% and you start fresh. Connecting the dots is key.

^^Yeah - what he said. I should have been clearer - I take those mental pictures of each segment, for example, slalom-offsets-turnaround-slalom etc.

OP - on the tire pressures, nobody was trying to sabotage you. Some people do put more air in the rear tires on a FWD to help induce rotation. The best starting point is 10psi over what you run on the street all around.